In the span of a breath, everything changed.
Everything began and ended
In the span of a breath, I inhaled courage and love
And exhaled fear and hate
In the span of a breath, you saw God and let go
Of this earth
In the span of each deep breath, we gave life
To redwoods, rainforests, fields of tulips and lavender,
To tangled brush and desert flowers
We blew out candles and filled balloons
In the span of a long breath, I dove into the deep water
And held it until my face turned blue
In the span of a breath, I smelled wild phlox and roses
Moldering walnut husks in the woods
Decomposing leaves
That gave us air
In the span of a breath, the ocean waves pull
Toward land
In the span of a breath, the stars fell from the sky.
In the span of a breath, mouth upon mouth, we pumped life back into
Another. First, aid.
In the span of a breath, kisses.
In the span of a breath, I counted to ten.
Began again.
Breathed.
Your poem is captivating and touching in so many levels… It might apply to Life, cycles (seasons, aging… But also to relationships. In this last sense -and from a very personal approach- I found it truly well timed. So thanks for sharing your poetry!. Best wishes, Aquileana 🙂
Thank you for reading and for your kind words, Aquileana. I’m glad this touched you.
Ah, Meg, you give such life to your words. Such pulsating, vibrant, full of energy life! I can read this over and over again. Everything you say above is so true. It just takes the span of a breath for all of that to happen. Effortlessly.
Such a lovely comment, Shailaja! Thank you so much.
The two above comments are very good… and I second them.
Thank you! And thanks for the follow.
Oh Meg…these words just flowed from your heart right into mine.
You made this look so easy and sound so beautiful in my head as I read the words.
“To redwoods, rainforests, fields of tulips and lavender”
Sigh….this makes me want to take pictures to match your stanzas.
In fact, that gives me an idea. Hmmm….I’ll be back sometime next week to tell you about it.
Loved this, dear friend. I want to frame and hang it in my office.
xo
I want to know! I want to know! Wish we had redwoods here — I would take tons of pictures of them. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with taking photos of decayed logs. No idea why. Anyway, you are so kind to read and comment in your loving way, Michelle. xoxo
I take pictures of decayed logs, too. So much character and thriving life (love the oxymoron of it!)
Anyhoo…I printed your poem and stuck it on my “idea board.” I’m going to see what kind of photos I can take to match the lines and stanzas. I’ll let know when I get it finished.
Have a great weekend, Meg! xoxoxo
Meg, I loved this opportunity to see a glimpse of your poetry. You are such a talented writer.
This stanza in particular touched me deeply:
“In the span of each deep breath, we gave life
To redwoods, rainforests, fields of tulips and lavender,
To tangled brush and desert flowers
We blew out candles and filled balloons
In the span of a long breath, I dove into the deep water
And held it until my face turned blue
In the span of a breath, I smelled wild phlox and roses
Moldering walnut husks in the woods
Decomposing leaves
That gave us air”
Muah, Karen! This is the first poem I’ve written in decades. As I told Rowan, before writing this, rather stream of consciously and speedily, I had spent three hours on a story set in the 1800s with a guy named Caleb who falls off a thatched roof and lands somewhere with a faun named Viktor Crumbles. Could not get that story to work. Hah!
Wow, this is quite a departure from the tale of Viktor Crumbles! 😉
Beautiful.
Oh, this was beautiful. I do so love good poetry.
Thanks, my friend!
The full stop in “First, aid.” I can’t even. I’m going to go burn all my poetry.
Yeah, I don’t know where that came from…just seemed right to put a comma between the two. Have you posted your poetry? I bet it is gorgeous.
Wow. I’m kind of speechless. So good, Meg!
Thanks, Stacie, darlin’. Appreciate the read.
I love how you repeat the opening line (or parts of it) and weave the theme of air in breath through the whole piece. Amazing.
Thanks, Christine. The Henry Miller School of Poetry. Wish I had spent more time on it. <3
I felt like I was floating along on an emotional wave, almost part of that other life that was flashing before my/our eyes. This, my friend, is incredible! I think it really hit me here: “In the span of a breath, the ocean waves pull / Toward land / In the span of a breath, the stars fell from the sky” but I also love the idea at the end of a new beginning.
Aw, thanks, Silverleaf. I’m so glad it was sort of experiential (a grant-work word). More than anything, I’m just glad you liked it! Haven’t written poetry in years. It was fun. xoxo
And poetry too! There is no end to your talent, my friend 🙂
Splendid, you are too generous. Thanks for your kind reading and comment. <3
I love how empowering this is. It made me feel like I was standing on top of the Cliffs of Moher again being hit with a wind that had crossed oceans. I’m so glad you’re sharing poetry!
I love your comments, Nate. Each one is so distinctive and personal that I imagine you are a wonderful listener. Thanks so much for this. Means a lot. <3
This is absolutely captivating. The words are so vibrant, so peaceful. It felt like a mini-break from reality.
And I hope that’s where I go, too. Someday.
Oh, thank you so much, Natalie. I adored your loving tribute to Judee Sill — heart-breaking. I listened to that CD yesterday. My favorite song is “The Kiss.” My husband actually cried listening to it. He doesn’t do that.
Here’s a video: http://youtu.be/0feFedDW_iQ
Oh, me too! Sigh, that video is breathtaking. What a musician.
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Wonderfully written on a range of levels – and there’s so many levels to explore, one by one by one…!
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